Designs for Decorating Tobacco Boxes
1751-1769
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-414-3
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Designs for Decorating Boxes** *Viriclix, active 18th century, 1751–1769* Print, Smithsonian American Art Museum Created by the enigmatic Viriclix, active in mid-18th century, this print offers a glimpse into colonial American craftsmanship. Titled *Designs for Decorating Boxes*, it dates from 1751 to 1769—a period when tobacco was a cornerstone of daily life and trade in the American colonies. As a practical print, it likely served as a pattern book for artisans, providing motifs to embellish snuffboxes and pipe cases, popular accessories among gentlemen of the era. These small, orna...